The ending of The Gilded Age season 3 is simultaneously happy and melancholic for Bertha Russell. Bertha’s ambition has now cost her her family, and I suppose she has to do everything in her power to get her husband and son to trust her again. Meanwhile, things have changed drastically between Ada and Agnes, and I’m excited to see what the future brings for them. This season has been just as delightful as the previous one, and I can imagine the relief we’re all feeling thanks to George being okay, but I’m not sure I agree with his decision. Surely, this is only for a fitting dramatic ending, and things will change as soon as he hears Gladys’ good news, won’t they? The final episode is certainly satisfying, but it’s making me eager to know what’s going to come next season, and if George’s business will withstand any other storms that come his way. If you’re an expert on American history, you possibly know how things are going to turn out in season 4, economy-wise, but I’ll try and get into the details of the drama itself and what we can expect next season with the show’s main characters.
Spoiler Alert
Is Peggy Getting A Happy Ending?
The best bit of the season 3 finale is Peggy’s engagement to Kirkland. At the beginning of the episode, it felt like Peggy had lost all hope, and she believed she didn’t deserve happiness, but Kirkland proved her wrong by defying his mother and proving his loyalty to Peggy and their love. William and his dad both end up siding against his mom, because Peggy’s a great woman, and despite the negativity in her past, she will be a great wife to William because she’s intelligent and a great match. Finally, at the ball, William decides to propose, first asking Mr. Scott for Peggy’s hand and then getting down on one knee in the middle of the dance floor. What a beautiful scene, ah! Now, William has received a lavish amount from George, something that he found too much to accept, but with the Russells insisting, he did. So I suppose Peggy is going to be rich now too. But I do hope she doesn’t stop working, because she’s so good at what she does. I wonder if the two of them will start something of their own, “be the change they want to see,” that sort of thing, you know?
What About Larry And Marian?
The biggest plot twist of season 3 was that Marian would lose yet another man! I mean, honestly, we all knew Larry was endgame, but there was no reason to torment us like this. At this point it would’ve made more sense for her to end up alone like she told Ada, but of course, she’s young and beautiful and hopeful, so there’s always a chance for old flings to return. In the final episode, Marian shows great character by assisting Kirkland in saving George, even if it means getting her clothes bloodied and watching as a bullet is removed from a man’s chest. She shows how brave she truly is, surprising Bertha and winning her over to side with her as the perfect match for her son. Bertha’s change of heart isn’t enough to convince either Marian or Larry, though. While Marian has already forgiven Larry and admits she was wrong in jumping to conclusions, Larry thinks she’ll do it again because of how she’s been treated before. He doesn’t want her to distrust him at every given moment. Larry did do her wrong by lying, though.
However, in The Gilded Age season 3’s ending, Larry decides to leave the past behind and tell Marian that they’re both going to make mistakes, but they can think about them later. For the moment, they decide to take up the dance floor rather than future plans, which is perfectly fine.
Why Does George Leave?
The biggest shocker of season 3 episode 8 is that George decides to go back to the club despite having a near-death experience. No, this does not mean he’s stopped loving Bertha, but he wants her to set things straight and possibly go back to how she used to be before she let her ambition take over her family. George is most mad at himself because he let Bertha send Gladys off to a different country without really considering her feelings. Sure, Gladys is happy now, but as a father, he knows he did wrong by his only daughter. But at the same time, Gladys tells Bertha that she’s going to have a baby soon. Will this change George’s mind? I wonder.
What Can We Expect From Season 4?
The first question that needs answering is who tried to have George killed. The obvious answer is Clay, but seeing how things turned out in this final episode, I somehow feel like Clay isn’t the one who ordered the hit. Could it be a different competitor? It could honestly be anyone that George has worked with, so that bit is going to take up some time in the next season at least. Meanwhile, we’ll also see the progress of George’s massive plans and see his business expand more prosperously. On the other hand, we’re likely to have two weddings in season 4, Peggy and William’s, of course, but also Marian and Larry’s. Given that the duo have made up, it’ll hardly be any time before everyone tells them it’s time to make things final. Double celebrations at the Russells’ with the first grandchild on the way as well.
Agnes will become the vice president of the New York Heritage Society, and Ada will take over the family stuff. It’s a perfect deal, especially now that Oscar has found a way out for himself as well. This lavender wedding will likely happen off screen, but I do hope things work out for Oscar ultimately. Jack and Bridget might get married as well? At first, I believed we wouldn’t see any more of Jack, seeing as he’s achieved what he had to, but we’ll see him enter society, and he’ll probably get used to becoming “rich.” I don’t think he’s done just yet though; he’s definitely got many more ideas and will continue to work on them.
With the ball, Bertha has changed the way society works, and the face of the top 400 is going to change drastically in the coming years. We’re already in the late 80s, which means more change is on its way. I am especially excited to see how things will change for women like Aurora and Lina’s daughter. It’s good to see Lina join forces with Bertha, which means merging the new and the old to put up a single front.
